As women advance in their financial service careers, their representation in senior-level positions decline. Globally, only 25% of women hold senior-level manager roles and only 4% are CEOs.

Clearly, there is still much work to be done to break these barriers. Empowering women leaders in the financial industry will bring tremendous value to the entire industry.

With this in mind, we’ve curated seven stand-out articles about the latest trends, challenges and opportunities for women in financial services. To celebrate female leaders, I have also included four lists at the end of the article of exceptional women to pay attention to in the finance space. Please share any feedback on these and I welcome your suggestions if you think I have missed any.

To get an understanding of the current state of women in the industry, here are some of the most current global, Canadian and US statistics. These metrics make clear that while females have made progress in the field, some are not making the same wage as their male counterparts and it’s difficult for them to progress in their careers.

There is an ongoing stereotype that men rule the cryptocurrency space. There actually are more women in cryptocurrency than you’d think, we just aren’t aware of it since they don’t get the same level of exposure or recognition. Meet nine women who are leaders in the field.

Financial advisors have traditionally been taught the skills to work with men, as they were seen as the primary ‘breadwinners.’ But the culture around investing and finance for females has evolved, and if advisors don’t learn how to communicate with women, including daughters, their businesses will suffer.

“We have spent most of our careers talking to the dads. Now we need to start talking to the daughters.” ~ Barbara Stewart

Female financial professionals don’t think they have the same opportunities as their male colleagues. Men think they think do. Caroline Fairchild believes this disagreement is part of a greater narrative of corporate bias that men need to wrap their minds around so we can close the gap.

He’s “analytical” or “arrogant.” She’s “compassionate” or “inept.” The research in this article shows significant differences in words and attributes applied to male and female leaders. As these words have real-life implications, I recommend everyone reads this piece.

We are only now beginning to recognize that demeaning and devaluing women is an insidious, expensive problem. In this eye-opening piece, Sallie Krawcheck shows how the economic implications of gender inequality is something that businesses cannot afford to ignore.